At the risk of sounding like Scrooge, I just have to say, "What's up with Christmas????!!!" I personally LOVE giving gifts, so if I am being Scrooge, it is the redeemed Scrooge. However, I am sick of the Jesus hype at Christmas. I grew up believing that we should not celebrate Christmas as Jesus' birthday 1) because it probably isn't 2) we should celebrate His birth all the time not just one day a year. Since being out on my own, I have been through it all. There was a time when I started truly making a big deal out of Christmas being Jesus' birthday. There was a time when I avoided any discussion of Santa and did not want to play the Santa game with my children fearing they would think if I lied about Santa, I might be lying about Jesus. Anyway, all that to say, I am closer than I have ever been, in my thoughts, to what I grew up being taught. One thing that has really furstrated me this year on the most popular Christian radio stations around, is the slogan that one Christian station has embraced. It is "we are keeping Christ in Christmas'. I just hit me today after listening to this phrase for the last month! Exactly!!! That is exactly what the mainstream Christianity is doing! Keeping Christ in his box. Let's keep him where we can control Him. Otherwise He starts meddling with our stuff. And it isn't always polite or pleasant or nice. In fact chances are He will call us to do something crazy. Seems to be the way He usually works. I say let's let Christ out of Christmas. Let's let Him reign! I know, easier said than done. Merry Christmas.

INTIMACY

Since I received such encouragement on my "change of direction" blog. And since my best friend/husband is in Maryland... I am going to try again.

Intimate - to make known especially publicly or formally. (Webster's)

Intimacy is something I have been thinking about alot. To be known. We all want to be known. We all are known. We just don't always believe that.

I took my children to see The Nutcracker. We have been to the ballet before. My daughter especially loves ballet and took ballet lessons for years. This year was different, though. We actually knew one of the children in the show. He is a friend of my 10 year old, Benjamin. It changed everything to watch the performance knowing Matthew. We were eager to see him on stage. We cheered for him. We wanted him to succeed. No longer were the cute little children just cute little children. It was Matthew and his friends.



We have a small fellowship of believers that meet in our home every week. We know each other. We know when something is wrong. We are pulling for each other. No longer are these people faces in a pew or in a church directory. We know their stories. We hurt when they hurt. Knowing someone changes everything.

I can easily cut someone off in traffic and pull in front of them if they are going too slow, but if I look in the car and see my friend Carla! That changes everything. I know her. How can I cut her off!

A few weeks ago we went to an outdoor Christmas celebration. It was such fun for the kids! Bounce houses, pony rides, concerts, and a dog show. Steve and I separated to do different things with the kids. He took the baby and Christopher to see the dog show, while I took the othters to do various activities. After we met up, Steve started telling me about this out- of- control, 5 0r 6 year old child that ran onto the field. His mom could not get him to obey. She had to go in and get him. The dog show was disrupted. It sounded like a fiasco!!! I was appalled thinking what I would do if Joshua did something like that! He wouldn't dare!!!!! "Bad parenting", I thought to myself. But only for a split second before Steve said, "I think it was someone our neighbor knows" My heart immediately sunk as I thought of my walks with my neighbor every day for the past few months and her prayer requests for her friend who has an autistic child. The child looks normal in every way, but does not comprehend or behave like a normal child. He has many issues unrelated to his parent's discipline. Immediately my attitude changed toward the entire situation because I KNEW this story. This was the mother and child that I have been praying about for months! I know them! Wow. What a difference knowing makes.

I am not sure where to go with this... but I do take great comfort in knowing that He knows me. Better than I even know me. Somehow that comforts me. Because I know He made me. I was His idea. He takes full responsibility for me. Even the things I don't like about me. He knows those things. He made me this way. Sometimes I wonder WHY!!!!! Yet, he seems to like me.

I know my children. I saw their heart beats within days of their beginning. I want the best for them. Although sometimes they think I am being mean :) I really really want them to succeed. I really adore them. I see a reflection of me in their mannerisms. They make me smile.

Somehow, I think it would be easier for us to rest in His love if we really believed that He knows us - and not only that.... we were His idea. Wow. That is sobering.